Both the Braves and Mets will be looking to pick up a win when they face off at 7:10 PM ET at Citi Field in New York. However, the forecast doesn't look great for Friday's matchup, as there figures to be broken clouds and temperatures in the mid-80s. SNY has this one on TV.
The Mets come in with a record of 54-48 and they are on a four-game winning streak. The Braves are 2nd in the NL East with a record of 54-47 but they are the slight money line underdog (+116). Friday's starter for the Braves is Charlie Morton, while the Mets are sending Kodai Senga to the mound.
Atlanta vs. New York Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Braves at Mets
- Where: Citi Field New York
- Date: Friday, July 26th
- Betting Odds NYM -136 | ATL +116 O/U 8
Braves vs Mets Last Game Recap
New York picked up a 3-2 win over the Braves in the most recent game of this series. The Mets had a two-run 3rd inning and scored the game's go-ahead run in the 5th. As for the Braves, they scored their only two runs in the 6th. Heading into the game, the Mets were at -102 on the money line.
Luis Severino started for the Mets and went five innings while giving up two runs and striking out six. Phil Maton got the win out of the bullpen, and Edwin Diaz got the save. Chris Sale put together a good outing for the Braves, going 7 1/3 innings and striking out nine.
Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil each had two RBIs for the Mets' offense. Lindor, Austin Riley, and Matt Olson all homered in the game.
Braves Preview
Atlanta is in a bit of a rough patch, having lost five straight games, including the first game of this series vs. the Mets. They are looking to close the 9.5-game gap between them and the Phillies in the NL East.
On the run line, the Braves are 45-56 overall and 24-26 on the road. Their over/under record for the season is 35-61, and their games have averaged 7.9 runs per game. Today's O/U line is set at 8 runs, and their O/U record in games with that total is 4-8-1.
Charlie Morton is looking to build off his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision. Against the Cardinals on July 20th, the right-hander went six innings, giving up just one earned run on six hits. Looking back further, Morton has made 18 starts and has a record of 5-5 this season. His ERA is 3.92, along with a WHIP of 1.22. Morton has turned in eight quality starts this year and is averaging 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, he has allowed 11 homers and is averaging 3.4 walks per nine innings. At home, Morton is 3-3 with a 3.91 ERA, compared to 2-2 with a 4.56 ERA on the road.
So far this season, the Braves offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. This is also the 10th best home run hitting team in the league, but they are batting just .240 as a team (14th). One thing to keep an eye on is that the Braves are just 22nd in the league in walks, and have a collective OBP of just .303.
Marcell Ozuna has been one of the league's top power hitters this season, as his 28 homers and 80 RBIs are both 3rd best in the league. He is also batting .305 for the season and has gone 14/36 with four homers over his last 10 games. Austin Riley and Matt Olson are also in the top five in home runs for the Braves.
Mets Preview
After taking the first game of this series, the Mets have won four straight games and are currently in 3rd place in the NL East, half a game behind the Braves. They trail the Phillies by 10 games with a 54-48 overall record.
For the season, Mets games with an over/under line of 8 runs have gone over 75% of the time, with a 12-4 record. Their overall over/under record is 54-45, and their games have averaged 9.5 runs per game. Against the run line, the Mets are 27-17 as underdogs and 27-22 on the road, bringing their run line record to 49-53.
The Mets will be sending right-hander Kodai Senga to the mound for his 30th start of the season. Last year, Senga went 12-7 with an ERA of 2.98 and a WHIP of 1.22. He had a total of 16 quality starts and allowed a total of 17 home runs. In terms of his strikeout-to-walk ratio, Senga finished the season at 2.6. For the year, he averaged 2.7 walks per game and 10.93 strikeouts per nine innings.
Francisco Lindor has been on a tear for the Mets over his last 10 games, batting .359 with six homers and 14 RBIs. His 22 homers for the season are 7th in the league and leads the Mets. Overall, he is hitting .259. Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo are also near the top of the Mets' home run list, with 20 and 16 homers, respectively.
As a team, the Mets are 6th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.3 runs per contest. Overall, they are one of the league's top home run hitting teams and are 5th in the league in team slugging percentage.
Braves vs. Mets Prediction: Mets ML -136
We see the Mets taking this one at home with a predicted final score of 6-5. With the money line sitting at -136, we see this as a great value. Looking at today's starters, we have Kodai Senga finishing with six strikeouts compared to Charlie Morton with eight.
Offensively, we have the Mets finishing with nine hits compared to the Braves with nine. However, the Mets lineup is projected to hit three home runs compared to the Braves with four.
Looking at Morton and Senga's projections, Morton is projected to go six innings compared to Senga with just over five. Senga is also projected to give up more earned runs than Morton.
Our pick is for the Mets to win, and if you're looking for a parlay, we would recommend pairing the Mets with a team that has a higher payout.
